1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dish washing machine. More particularly, to a dish washing machine having a basket height adjusting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional dish washing machine is a machine that injects high-pressure wash water to dishes to wash the dishes. The conventional dish washing machine includes a washing tub in which dishes are washed, upper and lower baskets mounted in the upper and lower parts of the washing tub, such that the upper and lower baskets can be slid forward and backward, to receive dishes, a sump to collect wash water used to wash the dishes, and a pump and nozzles to inject the wash water toward the interior of the washing tub.
Technologies for mounting a basket height adjusting apparatus in a dish washing machine to receive various kinds of dishes have been proposed.
The basket height adjusting apparatus is mounted at an upper basket to vertically adjust the height of the basket depending upon the size of dishes, thereby effectively receiving dishes in a washing tub having restricted space.
An example of a basket height adjusting apparatus includes a support bracket mounted at each side of a basket to receive dishes such that the support bracket can be moved vertically, rollers mounted to the support bracket to slide the basket along a rail fixed to each-side inner wall of a washing tub such that the rail extends in the forward-and-backward direction of the washing tub, and a handle to be rotated in the upward and downward direction by a user such that the basket can be caught by the support bracket and the basket can be released from the support bracket, whereby the basket can be moved upward and downward, as disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2005-0019653. The basket is constructed in a net structure in which a plurality of vertical bars (i.e., vertical ribs) and a plurality of horizontal bars (i.e., horizontal ribs) are arranged while being spaced apart from each other such that dishes can be received in the basket, and, at the same time, wash water having washed the dishes can flow to the bottom of the washing tub through the basket.
According to the above-mentioned disclosure, the height of the basket is adjusted as follows. A user accesses each side of the basket to grip the basket with some fingers (for example, the thumb and the index finger or the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger) and to rotate the handle fixed to the support bracket through the net of the basket with some fingers (i.e., the middle finger or the ring finger). At this time, the basket is released from the support bracket. As a result, the basket is moved downward due to its weight, and the support bracket, which is mounted at the rail, is moved upward. Consequently, the height of the basket is raised.
In the conventional basket height adjusting apparatus, however, the handle which controls the basket such that the basket is caught by the support bracket and the basket is released from support bracket, is fixed to the support bracket which is moved relative to the basket, such that the handle moves along with the support bracket in an upward direction when the basket is moved downward. As a result, there is a possibility that the fingers (i.e., the middle finger or the ring finger) used to rotate the handle are caught between the horizontal bars of the basket moving downward at high speed due to its weight, and therefore, the fingers are injured.
Furthermore, the handle is mounted at the outside of the support bracket, and therefore, the handle is exposed to the outside. Consequently, a dish washing machine with such a basket height adjusting apparatus does not provide aesthetically pleasing external appearance.